“Dear PoPville,
There’s some sort of scammer on Q between 17th and 18th leaving this sticky note on cars saying that they hit them and want to work something out? The sticky notes are all printed the exact same, not handwritten. Saw the same sticky note on 4 cars in this block.”
“Dear PoPville,
I got a scam call last week from someone claiming to be a MPD officer. He claimed I had failed to appear for jury duty, and that legal action would be taken against me if I wasn’t able to prove that I’d never received the summons letter, which he claimed had been signed by me (I never got such a letter).
He seemed really legit and used real-sounding jargon. He had info about me, such as my age and address. (more…)
Photo by John Sonderman
From DC Water:
“DC Water is warning customers to beware of people claiming to represent the utility to gain access to their homes.
DC Water was made aware of a police report that says two suspects dressed as construction workers approached a home in the 3000 block of M Street, SE. Police say the men claimed to be from DC Water and said they “needed to check pipes inside the home. The homeowner refused to let them in, at which point the suspects produced a handgun and tried to force their way into the home. The homeowner was able to get the door shut and the suspects fled the location.”
The suspects do not work for DC Water and our crews will not try to gain access to a property without prior authorization. If someone claiming to be from DC Water shows up at your door asking for access, please do not allow them in. If you fear for your safety, call 911 immediately to report the suspicious behavior. We also ask that you call our Customer Care Department at (202) 354-3600 to report it. (more…)
Photo by Joanna Hiatt Kim
Ed. Note: If it seems too good to be true, especially on Craiglist, it is 99% a scam. I can’t tell you how many houses I see for $600/month when looking for my daily rental picks…
“Dear PoPville,
I finally started exploring the renting portion of Craiglist and have come across something that seems pretty sketchy. I’ve reached out to two properties that seem too good to be true but just on the line – $1650 – $1700 for spacious one bedrooms – and recognized similar behavior between the two.
The properties had two different “unit managers” but both started by asking for my real email, sending me apartment information in a separate thread, and then sending the following message: (more…)
11th and Florida Ave, NW
It was very upsetting to see this sign last month. Even more upsetting is scammers trying to take advantage of our emotions.
On Saturday the Florida Avenue Grill warned:
“Beware there are multiple unauthorized people purportedly raising money to “save” @floridaavegrill here on IG and elsewhere. None of these solicitations are authorized. They are done without our knowledge or consent. Nor have any funds donated been given to the Grill… The Grill is not going out of business. (more…)
Photo by PoPville flickr user angela n.
From the Office of the D.C. Attorney General:
“District residents should be on high alert for scams related to federal coronavirus relief payments or “economic impact payments.”
As early as next week, millions of eligible Americans will begin receiving one-time payments from the federal government as part of the response to COVID-19. The exact timeline is still being worked out, but these payments will come through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) either through direct deposit or by check. Accurate information on these payments can be found on the IRS website: https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus
Unfortunately, scammers are using the news of these relief payments as an opportunity to attempt to steal consumers’ money or personal information. Scammers may use the promise of these government checks or payments to trick people into giving out private information, such as bank account details or Social Security numbers. They may try to impersonate government agencies or promise to help consumers get payments faster. And scammers may reach out to consumers by phone, email, text, or social media.
In fact, the Office of the Attorney General has already heard of people receiving robocalls asking for financial information to process their stimulus payments. Beware: this is a scam.
Here is what you need to know to spot scams and stay safe: (more…)
Photo by PoPville flickr user Claire Uziel
From the DC Office of the Attorney General:
“As public health concerns grow about coronavirus (COVID-19), scammers may try to take advantage of consumers. Scams could include selling products that are ineffective at preventing the disease and spreading misinformation through social media and other channels. Other scammers may be pretending to solicit donations to help coronavirus victims, but instead are stealing consumers’ money and personal information.
Here are some tips to protect yourself from these scams: (more…)
Thanks to Stephanie for passing on:
“A little PSA – just had a phishing scam. Someone “from Pepco” calling to reduce my bills by 30%, they just needed me to provide my Residential-R service number. Got off the phone and called Pepco to ask about it. Supposedly with that number they can hijack your account.”
“Dear PoPville,
Sad to say that I saw the 2 $10s for a $20 scam in action on the platform at Union Station today. I was about 15 feet away and on an important call and wasn’t 100% sure I had correctly recalled this as a scam so I didn’t intervene.
Only when the tricked guy and I both got on the train did I think to google “PoPville $20” – and sure enough, it pulled up the picture of the guy and his walker. It’s done so, so adeptly – and the man really does appear disabled and in-need – that I frankly doubted my own memory and hesitated on intervening. I showed the scammed guy the picture. He actually reacted pretty graciously (“Well I hope he needed it more than I do.”).”
Makes the whole Two Tens For a Twenty thing seem quaint.
I got tons of messages about this on Sunday:
“I was out at the U st area last night and this man was going around giving false stories about a dead phone/asking to put their number in girls phones – but instead was Venmo paying themselves in $500 increments. (more…)